Jet Airways Outlines ATR 72-600 Plans

Indian carrier Jet Airways is making the final preparations for the arrival of its first ATR 72-600s, an upgraded version of the older generation ATR 72-500s that the airline already operates. It will be the first customer for the type in the country and plans to use the aircraft to support its domestic network and provide enhanced connectivity into Tier II and III cities & towns across the length and breadth of India.

The aircraft are being sourced from lessor GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), which revealed early last year that it had signed a deal to place five aircraft with the Indian carrier. These are all scheduled for delivery between December 2012 and March 2013 and will be configured in an all Economy layout of 68 seats.

“The induction of the new, state-of-the-art ATR 72-600 aircraft bears further testimony to our commitment to providing our guests with an enriched and luxurious flying experience utilising the very latest technology, said Sudheer Raghavan, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways.

“Importantly, the ATR 72-600 series bring some new operational capabilities to the airline by being the most economical aircraft to fly. The aircraft’s redesigned cabin will allow us to afford our guests complete comfort and its outstanding performance at take-off on short runways with increased payloads thus allowing the airline to optimize its operations in key regional markets,” he added.

The enhanced operational performance of the ATR 72-600s over its older generation turboprops will enable Jet Airways to expand its regional domestic network into more Tier II and III towns and cities across India, but initially the first aircraft will directly replace a slightly smaller 62-seat ATR 72-500s on a daily routing linking Mumbai to Bhuj, Diu, Porbandar and Udaipur.

Compared to the ATR 72-500, which uses 50 per cent analog and 50 per cent digital instruments, the ATR 72-600 series, with a glass cockpit, enjoys latest innovations in the cockpit with simplified, integrated LCD advanced functions, enhancing reliability and safety, improved handling for pilots and maintenance cost savings. The aircraft are powered by a new Pratt & Whitney PW127M multi-rated engine, which aids the aircrafts take off from short runways with increased payload, while the cabin has been ergonomically enhanced to provide more space and comfort for passengers.

Jet Airways made its debut on the route from Mumbai to Bhuj in May 1998, adding regular non-stop flights to Udaipur in October 1999 and Diu in November 1999; it has served Porbandar via Diu since September 2000. The direct flights from Mumbai stopped in late 2010 but where resumed earlier this year. Jet currently only faces direct competition on the Mumbai – Udaipur route after Kingfisher Airlines ended its flights between Mumbai and Bhuj earlier this year.

In the table below we highlight the leading operators in the Indian domestic network and compare total seat capacity this year with 2011. Jet Airways is currently the second largest carrier in Indian skies with a 20.7 per cent share of seat capacity this year although when you include its Konnect and Lite brands this share rises to 26.1 per cent, making it the market leader. A realignment of its operations has seen its mainline capacity almost treble – overall capacity is up 0.9 per cent - but significant capacity declines at a number of local carriers, most notably Kingfisher Airlines, means the overall market has grown at a rate of 0.6 per cent this year.